Finance Department

The Finance Department is responsible for developing reports, issuing purchase orders, employee payroll and many other financial functions.

The department monitors the annual budget to ensure that expenditures will not exceed the budget, as authorized by Council. As the budget is developed, the Department is called upon by Council to provide a breakdown of costs so Council can decide how to allocate City resources.

Local taxes are processed by the Regional Income Tax Authority (RITA). Forms are available at the Finance Department; the income tax rate in Garfield Heights is 2% with a 100% credit (up to 2%).

Assistance is available for people unable to pay their property taxes through the Restoring Stability: Save the Dream Ohio Initiative. It is necessary that homeowners have a valid hardship issue to qualify for the program, which is being administered by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.

The Vital Statistics department closed in 2009 in Garfield Heights. The information is now with the City of Cleveland. Their number is 216-664-2317. They will be able to assist you in obtaining a copy of your certificate. For more information, please click here.

Having met all the objectives of its financial recovery plan, Garfield Heights was released from fiscal emergency status by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost.

“You are the unsung heroes of local government,” Yost said during a special meeting of the Garfield Heights City Council and the Financial Planning and Supervision Commission on Thursday, Sept. 19.

“This day wouldn’t be possible without the sacrifices of both the citizens of Garfield Heights and city employees,” Yost said. “These choices weren’t easy, but they’ve put the city back on the right track. We continue to face economic headwinds in our state, but the task ahead will be far easier than the one behind you.”

Garfield Heights was placed in fiscal emergency on October 14, 2008 due to deficits totaling $1,869,779. To eliminate its fiscal emergency status, the city reduced staff by approximately 40 full-time positions through attrition to save $2 million annually. Administrative employees took a 30 percent pay reduction which saves the city $600,000 annually. And, Garfield Heights also instituted new fees and increased existing fees to generate additional revenue.

“This is something we worked very hard to achieve,” said Mayor Vic Collova. “Employees and residents sacrificed a lot to get the city back into solid financial shape.”

The Garfield Heights fiscal emergency was declared following a fiscal analysis by the state auditor’s Local Government Services office. Once a city is placed into fiscal emergency, a commission is appointed by the state to help the city regain financial stability. The commission is responsible for approving a plan that details solutions for eliminating the emergency and strategies to avoid future deficits.